Powered warping device for marine objects



y 1966 s. L. HAMALAINEN 3,250,514

POWERED WARPING DEVICE FOR MARINE OBJECTS Filed March 19, 1964 52 G EKPO 32 34 INVEN TOR. .SZ MM Z. Ham: :4 INEA/ United States Patent 3,250,514 POWERED WARPING DEVICE FOR MARINE OBJECTS Simon L. Hamalainen, 280 Park St., Rockland, Mame Filed Mar. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 353,037 4 Claims. (Cl. 254-138) This invention relates to warping device for marine objects, and more particularly to an apparatus for hauling various types of lobster traps, fish pots, traps, nets and other similar units used by fishermen in various marine environments.

The present known types of warping devices have their attendant problems and difficulties in use, in that many of such devices do not have sufficient frictional engaging and quick release means for varied uses of a drag cable to make the device a highly flexible one for use under rough, snagging and other operating conditions, as found in various marine environments.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a warping device, of the class described, in which, the sheave means of the device is split so that one member will drive the other pulley member by pins, and being so arranged that it is self gripping to the warp when drawn taut or the powered pulley will also easily and dependably release the warp by its own accord when the warp is extended in length.

Another object of the invention is to provide a warping device having an accommodating pulley means which will quickly and automatically grip a warp by a wedging frictional engagement during hauling or quickly and automatically release its frictional grip on a cable or warp when the warp is extended in length for any reason.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pow ered warping block including a self gripping and releasing pulley for a warp which is adapted to be used in any rotational plane of the warp during hauling operations or other operations well known in the fishing and marine art.

Still other objects of the invention reside in the combination of elements, arrangement of parts, features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing relative relationships of the motor, gearbox, structural frame and split sheaf engaging a warp or cable of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the pulley and powered block of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the split pulley of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial view of one side of the pulley of the present invention taken substantially on lines 44 of FIGURE 3, in the direction of the arrows.

Like reference numerals designate like parts in the different views of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral designates the power warp device of the present invention which comprises, in general, a motor 12, supported on an angle platform 14 secured by welding 16 to a conventional gear box 18 containing an electrical energizing switch 20, the gear box 18 centrally containing an extending central shaft 21 carried in suitable bearing 22 and extending axially therefrom to carry pulley 24 fixedly secured thereon by key, screw or other conventional means, as desired. The distal end portion of shaft is outwardly supported in bearing 26 in a supporting frame 30 welded to bracket 32 and secured by bolt 34 to a cooperation bracket structural support 17 welded to gear housing 18.

3,250,514 Patented May 10, 1966 The gear box 18 is comprised of side plate 38 and 40 secured to an arcuate central gear box 42 containing conventional reduction gears, 'as desired, which communicate by a motor shaft (not shown) through motor housing 44 with motor 12 and further extend within gear housing 18 to engage shaft 21, as understood by those skilled in the art.

Side plate 38 and 40 of gear box 18 are secured together at their upper portions by spacer 46 and bolt 48 and are further secured together at their lower edge portions by spacer 50 and bolt 54, the bolt 54 extending through additional spacer 52 to support frame 30, as best shown in FIGURE 1.

Split pulley 24 is comprised of two cooperating disc like pulley members 56 and 58 secured together by link or pin members 60 engaging in cylindrical openings 61. As shown in FIGURE 3, openings 61 are adapted to receive the entire length of pin 60; however, during operation disc like members 56 and 58 are not required to be parallel but member 58 may be tilted, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3; therefore, pin 60 floats in openings 61, as shown in FIGURE 3, as pulley 24 is driven by shaft 21, disc like member 56 drives member 58 through floating pin members 60. The freedom of movement of disc like member 58, which may rotate, move laterally or tilt to a limited extent with respect to member 56, causes the pulley members to cooperatively engage and disengage a warp or cable, automatically adapting to various sizes of warps and cables and to surface irregularities in such warps and cables, as a warp or cable 66 is inserted in or removed from the divergent receiving space between arcuate surfaces 57 and 59 as shown in FIGURE 1.

Pulley member 56 is secured to shaft 20 by key way 62, screw 64 or other conventional means, as desired. Pulley member 58 is driven by pulley member 56 through pin 60 of FIGURE 3.

Switch 20 of gear housing 18 is connected to by a conventional electrical energy source, (not shown) which energizes motor means 12. The conventional electrical wiring is omitted for purposes of clarity.

End plates 11 and 13 of motor 12 are secured together by bolts 15 and 15a, as best shown in FIGURE 1.

In operation, the motorized block 10 of the present invention is suitably mounted in any conventional manner on an adjustable dragging support frame (not shown) for a desired operation, energized by switch 20 for hauling cable or warp 66. During such operation there is a slight clearance between the apertured hub 58a of pulley member 58 and shaft 21 to permit slight movement sidewise of member 58 with relationship to pulley member 56, to automatically frictionally wedge or engage or quickly release cable or warp 66, during hauling or extending warp 66. In connection with the mode of operation of pulley 24, member 56 is mounted against collar 70 on shaft 21 and pulley member 58 is rotatably mounted on shaft 21 adjacent collar 72 contacting frame support plate 30 carrying therein bearing 26. Collar 72, carrying bearing 26, may have the end adjacent pulley member 58 angularly beveled, as best shown in FIGURE 1, thereby causing disc like pulley member 58 to 'be tilted to a non-perpendicular position with respect to shaft 21 and, consequently to a non-parallel position with respect to disc like pulley member 56. Screw 74 and cap 76 are fixedly attached to the distal end of shaft 21 to laterally support pulley member 58 as it moves laterally in its different engaging and disengaging operations with cable 66, as under- Pulley member 58 is flexibly secured to pulley member 56 by pin 60.

Any desired means of attaching this invention to a hauling boom and the like may be used, as desired.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved powered warping device for hauling marine objects which accomplishes all the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept within the purview of this invention, as desired by those skilled in the art without departing therefrom, and, therefore, it is to be understood, that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1. A powered block adapted to haul a warp comprising: (1) a structural frame, (2) a housing mounted on said frame, (3) a gear box in said housing, (4) an energizing motor fixedly mounted on said hous- 111g, (5 a shaft extending laterally through said housing, (6) bearing means mounting said shaft in said housing for rotation, (7) a driving connection between said motor and said gear box and said shaft, (8) a split pulley mounted on the distal end of said shaft, said pulley comprising:

(a) a first dis-c like member, (b) a second disc like member, (0) a plurality of floating pin members,

said first :and second disc like members having convex substantially arcuate confronting surfaces forming a diverging warp receiving channel, said channel having a maximum width at the periphery of said disc like pulley members, said first disc like member carrying a first central apertured hub, said first aperture of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of said shaft, (d) means fixedly securing said first hub to said shaft,

said second disc like member carrying a second central apertured hub, said shaft extending through said aperture, said aperture having a diameter exceeding the diameter of said shaft to :an extent sufficient to permit free lateral and rotational movement of said second hub on said shaft and limited off-axial tilting movement of said second hub and disc like member,

said first and second disc like members having in said confronting substantially convex surfaces a plurality of mating cylindrical openings radially spaced about said hub in said disc like members, said floating pin members intermediate said disc like members and matingly engaged in and extending between at least some aligned openings in said disc like members, said pin members providing a driving connection between said first disc like member and said second disc like member,

said second disc like member being tiltable and rota-table to a limited extent with respect to said first disc like member whereby under the exertion of a force on said warp forcing a portion of said warp between said confronting surfaces of said discs one side of said second disc tilts to effect a clamping action on an opposed portion of said warp between the opposite side of said second disc and said firs-t disc.

2. A powered 'block as in claim 1 wherein the confronting convex faces of said disc like members are substantially smooth. V

3. A powered block as in claim 2 in which the cylindrical openings are in said smooth surfaces. 7

4. A powered block as in claim 3 wherein an angul arly beveled collar is provided through which said shaft extends said collar permit-ting said second disc like member to be tilted with respect to said first disc like member to eifect said clamping action.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,193,254 7/1965 Minnick 254-138 

1. A POWERED BLOCK ADAPTED TO HAUL A WARP COMPRISING: (1) A STRUCTURAL FRAME, (2) A HOUSING MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, (3) A GEAR BOX IN SAID HOUSING, (4) AN ENERGIZING MOTOR FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING, (5) A SHAFT EXTENDING LATERALLY THROUGH SAID HOUSING, (6) BEARING MEANS MOUNTING SAID SHAFT IN SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATION, (7) A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID MOTOR AND SAID GEAR BOX AND SAID SHAFT, (8) A SPLIT PULLEY MOUNTED ON THE DISTAL END OF SAID SHAFT, SAID PULLEY COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST DISC LIKE MEMBER, (B) A SECOND DISC LIKE MEMBER, (C) A PLURALITY OF FLOATING PIN MEMBERS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND DISC LIKE MEMBERS HAVING CONVEX SUBSTANTIALLY ARCUATE CONFRONTING SURFACES FORMING A DIVERGING WARP RECEIVING CHANNEL, SAID CHANNEL HAVING A MAXIMUM WIDTH AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID DISC LIKE PULLEY MEMBERS, SAID FIRST DISC LIKE MEMBER CARRYING A FIRST CENTRAL APERTURED HUB, SAID FIRST APERTURE OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIAMETER AS THE DIAMETER OF SAID SHAFT, (D) MEANS FIXEDLY SECURING SAID FIRST HUB TO SAID SHAFT, SAID SECOND DISC LIKE MEMBER CARRYING A SECOND CENTRAL APERTURED HUB, SAID SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE, SAID APERTURE HAVING A DIAMETER EXCEEDING THE DIAMETER OF SAID SHAFT TO AN EXTENT SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT FREE LATERAL AND ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SECONE HUB ON SAID SHAFT AND LIMITED OFF-AXIAL TILTING MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND HUB AND DISC LIKE MEMBER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND DISC LIKE MEMBERS HAVING IN SAID CONFRONTING SUBSTANTIALLY CONVEX SURFACES A PLURALITY OF MATING CYLINDRICAL OPENINGS RADIALLY SPACED ABOUT SAID HUB IN SAID DISC LIKE MEMBERS, SAID FLOATING PIN MEMBERS INTERMEDIATE SAID DISC LIKE MEMBERS AND MATINGLY ENGAGED IN AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AT LEAST SOME ALIGNED OPENINGS IN SAID DISC LIKE MEMBERS, SAID PIN MEMBERS PROVIDING A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID FIRST DISC LIKE MEMBER AND SAID SECOND DISC LIKE MEMBER, SAID SECOND DISC LIKE MEMBER BEING TILTABLE AND ROTATABLE TO A LIMITED EXTENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST DISC LIKE MEMBER WHEREBY UNDER THE EXERTION OF A FORCE ON SAID WARP FORCING A PORTION OF SAID WARP BETWEEN SAID CONFRONTING SURFACES OF SAID DISCS ONE SIDE OF SAID SECOND DISC TILT TO EFFECT A CLAMPING ACTION ON AN OPPOSED PORTION OF SAID WARP BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SECOND DISC AND SAID FIRST DISC. 